What is Social Video Marketing (Part 2 of well, we’ll see)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post called “What is Social Video Marketing?”.

I did it mostly because I wanted to explore a definition of the term. Originally intended as a two part post, I think I’m going to extend it since I came up with seven different points.

These could be blinding flashes of the obvious for most folks, but I’ll cover the first two bullets here for the rest of us who are wrangling with the topic.

1) Social Video Marketing Is Storytelling

People are storytellers by nature. We want to tell our stories and we want to hear other people’s stories.

When I got my first useless Master’s degree, I studied Narrative Theory. Walter Fisher, developed the concept and basically held that

• People are essentially storytellers.
• People make decisions based on good reasons.
• History, biography, culture, and character determine what we consider good reasons.
• Narrative rationality is determined by the coherence and fidelity of our stories.
• The world is a set of stories from which we choose, and constantly re-create, our lives.

(from Wikipedia)

Social Video Marketing fits into this concept very well.

Videos are nothing but stories. As we tell stories, and hear other people’s tales, we make decisions based on whether or not those stories fit within our own narrative time-lines.

Your video has to ring true with your customer. If it doesn’t, either through lack of transparency, or improper fit with your market they’re going to stop listening, ignore your product, and quit defining their lives in relation to you.

2) Social Video Marketing Shows The People As The Brand

As Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk have pointed out, social media cleans away the opacity of brick and mortar business. You can’t hide when you’re online, but you have to be online in order to be found these days.

You might as well embrace it.

Hugh MacLeod’s campaign for www.stormhoek.com is a beautiful mix of storytelling and personalities. As he walks across West Texas introducing his wine to the locals, you learn about him, his desire to stay in Alpine, and the folks that inhabit the arid landscape.

Is the brand Stormhoek? Well, yeah. But, it’s also Hugh. And quite honestly it’s all of us as we watch and play along.

Take a look at Matt Genovese at www.door64.com. He built that community because of his sheer love and inquisitiveness. Videos about door64 are about him and about the people around him.

You can’t talk about door64, without talking about Matt. And you can’t talk to anyone about Matt without bringing up door64.

Next time, we’ll cover engagement, technology, and sharing.